Synopsis of Death be not Proud

The sonnetDeath be not Proud is one of Donne's Holy Sonnets or Divine Poems. Clearly the theme is death, but the poem is considerably more positive about death and dying than some of his other sonnets, especially Oh my blacke Soule! and Thisis my playes last scene. Unlike in those two poems, there is no sense that Donne feels he is near death. In fact, he claims that it is no threat to him, and boldly strikes a defiant pose that is both dramatic and draws on profound Christian conviction.

A sonnet is a poem with a special structure. It has fourteen lines, which are organised in a particular manner, usually characterised by the pattern of rhyming, which changes as the ideas in the poem evolve.